LAETITIA SONAMI
EDUCATION
1980 MFA
- Center for Contemporary Music, Mills College, CA
EMPLOYMENT
Visiting Professor:
1998-Present San Francisco Art
Institute.
2004-Present Milton Avery MFA Program
at Bard College.
2003 CalArts.
2000 San Francisco State
University
Workshops and
Lectures:
1992-Present Wexner Art Center, MIT, Tinkers
Workshop, Columbia College, Vassar, Bard, Princeton U., CalArts, Steim
Institute/Amsterdam, UC Irvine, Kansas Art Inst., Lincoln Center Outdoors
Festival, Obscure/ Quebec, Simon Frazer U/Vancouver, UC Berkeley, Bennington
College, Rensselaer Polytechnicum Institute, Art Institute of Chicago, Randolph Street Gallery/ Chicago, Mills
College/ Oakland, IRCAM- AcadŽmies d'EtŽ/ Paris, UC San Diego, music dept. -
Touring Lecturer at Melbourne Univ., Canberra Inst. of the Arts, Sydney
Conservatory, Australia...
COMPOSITIONS/PERFORMANCES
Please Note:
Performances are listed from the time they were premiered until removed from
performance repertoire. During a life span of three to seven years, a piece
evolves greatly from first to
final version.
I am only citing the location for the premiere of each piece.
2008-in
progress ÒBlurrÓ,
a live film performance in collaboration with video artist Sue Costabile. Commissioned
by LACE, LA, to be premiered Winter 2009.
2006-present ÒI.C.YouÓ, a live film performance in
collaboration with video artist Sue Costabile. Premiered at San Francisco
International Film Festival.
2004-present ÒThe Appearance
of Silence (the Invention of
Perspective)Ó Performance
for live electronics controlled by
the lady's glove. Premiered at Sounding Beijing, China.
2000-present ÒWhy __ dreams
like a loose engine (autoportrait)Ó for
voice, live electronics, and computer controlled servo-motors. Premiered at
Gaudeamus Music Week- Melkweg (NL).
2007 ÒBellow
Activated Electronic MemoriesÓ, for electronic bellow. Premiered at
Grand21, Oakland, CA.
2000-2005 "Conversation
with a light bulb" composition for voice, data sounds and light bulbs. Premiered at the Santa Fe International
Festival of Electro-Acoustic Music.
2002 ÒBirds
w/o feet (cannot land)Ó Music for a choreography by
Molissa Fenley. Premiered at
Joyce Theatre, NYC.
2000 "Two
Trees"
composition for a choreography by Wendy Rogers.
"Vanishing
Tower" composition
for a video by Terri Hanlon.
1997-2003 "Has/Had" for voice and live electronics controlled by the
lady's glove. Text by M. Sumner
Carnahan. Premiered at The Kitchen, NYC.
1997-2002 "She
Came Back, AgainÓ
for voice and live electronics
controlled by the lady's glove. Text by
Sumner Carnahan. Premiered at the Kitchen, NYC.
1996 "Mona
Lisa",
collaboration with Donald Swearinghen, Pamela Z and Japanese video artists
Visual Brains Commissioned by the Interlink Festival for a Ô96 tour of Japan.
ÒNgaÕi
pha yulÓ a collaboration with David Wessel and
Tibetan opera singer Tsering Wangmo, for live electronics and voice. Premiered
at IRCAM-Paris
1995-2000 "...
and she keeps coming back for more" for live electronics controlled by the lady's
glove. Premiered at Hertz Hall
- University of California, Berkeley.
1995-1999 "
Wilfred wants You to Remember Us", for live electronics controlled by the lady's
glove. Commissioned for New American Radio seriesÕ95, under the title "The
Bench". Text by M.Sumner Carnahan.
1980-94 "
The Manananggal- Women SoignŽes" (musical theatre in collaboration with
performer Marie Goyette and author M. Sumner Carnahan), "What Happened II" (electronics controlled
by the lady's glove, text by Sumner Carnahan) "Story Road " (synthesizers,text by
Melody Sumner-Carnahan.) "Wilfred wants you to remember us" ( electronics and
voice,text by Melody Sumner-Carnahan) "Mechanization takes command
"
(collaboration with Paul DeMarinis, electronics, voice and slides). "Pie Jesu -
Sounds from Empty Spaces"
(electronic inst. and voice), "What Happened" (electronic inst. and voice, text by
Sumner-Carnahan), Ò Drole de DimancheÓ (home-made electronics) "Oh-Balihi-Wadou" (magnetic tapes and
voice)...
SOUND
INSTALLATIONS:
2007 ÒChairsÓ,
a
collaborative installation with the Mills College community, Oakland, CA. Participants
were asked to create listening spaces using chairs as site, instrument and
space for reflection (http://www.sonami.net/CHAIRS.htm).
2006 "Sounds
of War",
installation @ Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SF
2005
"Electronic
Pink BirdsÓ
Installation @ Lincoln Center,
NYC.
2004
"Wire
Rap II: Amnesia" Installation for wires and sound.@ Walter and McBean
Galleries, SF.
2003
" Where are you now?Ó a site-specific installation with servo motor,
nasturtium, hi-hat and spoons (plastic, wood and silver) @ Chapel of the
Chimes, Oakland.
2002 ÒCelebration
2002Ó, site
specific installation withmotorized rubber gloves and American flags and at Walter & McBean Gallery, SF
2001 ÒBAGSÓ an installation at
New Langton Arts, San Francisco, in collaboration with Nick Bertoni, the
Tinkers Workshop and East Bay Youth.
2000 "Conversation
with a light bulb no.5", sound
installation for light bulb filament controlled by sound and resonnator. Walter & McBean Gallery,SF.
NOMINATIONS,
AWARDS, HONORS
2007 David Tudor Composer in
Residence, Mills College
2002 Herb Albert Awards in the Arts
2000 Foundation for Contemporary Performance
Arts Award
2000 Creative Work Fund Award
for BAGS: a collaboration with N. Bertoni.
1999 Civitella Ranieri
Fellowship
1997 Ars Electronica/ORF
Honorary mention for "Has/Had".
CD RELEASES
"Wilfred..."
and "She keeps comings back for more" / Lovely Music (upoming ), Les Scaphandres / Ambiances MagnŽtiques
(with Jocelyn Robert) Messiah Remix / Cantalloupe Music (compilation) Crachecophage / OHMAvatar (collaboration with Jocelyn Robert) The Time is Now / Frog Peak (compilation) Story Road / Tellus Jewel Box 26 (compilation) What Happened / Nonesuch Records (compilation) Pie Jesu - Sounds from
Empty Places
/ Music & Arts Prog. of America
(compilation)